The shrine Архіви - LIFE-GIVING SPRING ORTHODOX CHURCH : LIFE-GIVING SPRING ORTHODOX CHURCH

Icon of the Mother of God “Life-Giving Spring”

March 20, 2026

The Icon of the Theotokos “Life-Giving Spring” is one of the most famous and venerated icons in Orthodoxy. Its name is connected with miraculous events that took place in the 5th century in Constantinople.

Relics of the Venerable Fathers of the Kyiv Caves

March 20, 2026

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves) is one of the oldest and most significant monasteries in Ukraine, as well as one of the most renowned Orthodox monastic communities in the world.

Icon with relics of the Venerable Gabriel (Urgebadze) of Samtavro

March 17, 2026

Venerable Gabriel (Urgebadze) is one of the most venerated Orthodox saints of modern times. He was born in 1929 in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. From his early years, his heart was aflame with love for the Lord Jesus Christ,... Read more...

Icons with Relics of the Saints from St. Nicholas Monastery in Florida

March 16, 2026

The Monastery of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Fort Myers is the oldest Orthodox monastery in Florida. It is situated in a picturesque area, about a two-hour drive from Miami. The monastery was founded in 1978 through the efforts and... Read more...

Relics of the New Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth

March 15, 2026 The New Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth was born in 1864 into the family of the German Grand Dukes of Hesse. She was the daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig IV and Princess Alice, and a granddaughter of the British Queen Victoria. Elizabeth was raised in the Protestant faith; however, from her youth her soul sought to attain the fullness of perfect truth. When the Lord brought her to Russia to marry Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, the son of Emperor Alexander II, her heart, beholding the beauty and depth of Orthodoxy, was filled with love for the Church of Christ. In 1891, through the Sacrament of Chrismation, she was received into the Orthodox Church, retaining her baptismal name in honor of the righteous Elizabeth, the mother of John the Forerunner. In 1905, after her husband was killed by a terrorist, the Grand Duchess left court life, put on the garments of a sister of mercy, and founded the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy in Moscow. There she labored alongside the other sisters: visiting the sick, comforting the sorrowful, feeding the hungry, and helping those in need. Witnessing her life, many glorified God, calling her a true mother of mercy and an ascetic of Christ. In 1918, when times of persecution against the Church and the House of Romanov came upon Russia, Saint Elizabeth, together with her cell attendant—the nun Barbara—and members of the imperial family, was taken into custody. In the town of Alapaevsk, on a dark night, she and the other martyrs were thrown into a deep mine shaft. While there, suffering from wounds and hunger, she did not cease to pray and sing spiritual hymns, repeating: “Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” In that same year, 1918, the relics of the Venerable Martyr Elizabeth and the nun Barbara were recovered, and in 1920 they were transferred to China, and from there to the Holy Land. In 1921, they were solemnly interred in the crypt of the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Gethsemane, Jerusalem. The commemoration day of Saint Elizabeth is celebrated on July 18.